Like watching a video game
I'm not sure what I was expecting when I started this show, but given Yang Yang's performances lately (Fireworks of My Heart was too painful), I see that shows with little emotional depth & campy acting are what actually suit YY best. I've not read the book so my impressions are just from watching it as a show.
In Immortal Ascension, YY plays Han Li, a poor boy from a low level cultivating family who manages to work his way up the ascension ladder through some audacity & luck. He faces many obstacles on the way, of course, but each obstacle proves to be a bridge on the road to ascension.
Han Li's first mentor suggests to him that he should not give up on his humanity on his journey to immortality. So I was searching for the human story in this show, but Han Li's interactions with other characters are superficial. I kept looking for any deep connections he might form with others, but finding none I ended up simply following his progression through the stages, exactly like watching someone play a video game.
Han Li is more selfish & immature than I was expecting. When he discovers how to make a rare & highly prized herbal pill for cultivators, instead of sharing it with the sect that generously took him in, he scarfs down an entire handful, Wukong style, all at once for himself. Han Li takes chances & is reckless for his own gain, but stands aside, hesitant to jump to others' aid. He never fights until he's either called out or forced by his own guilt. The tone of the show also carries a very juvenile video game feel & yet the very adult themes of sexual assault & one night stands are presented with all the understanding & sensitivity of a toxic man baby.
Entering the final 1/3 of the drama we see Han Li's growth into an adult catching up to these themes, but his relationships with his close colleagues don't seem to mature at the same time, particularly those with whom he goes through life & death trials. He doesn't seem to get to know anyone very well, & there's no insight into whatever inner demon is preventing him from connecting with others. There's no shortage of female characters throwing themselves at him, & yet he gives nothing in return but youth & beauty pills as gifts which shows his lack of understanding of any of them as individuals. His emotional emptiness is puzzling, & the best friend by his side is just the puppet body of the only person closest to being a friend in his life. He's a lone wolf who's self serving motives make him unsympathetic.
I realized by the end that this series is only the first season when it was apparent the story was not concluding during the painfully slow final episode. In fact, Han Li's stunted emotional development made more sense given the story was not yet finished. His journey became more interesting as a result. It's unfortunate that the pacing was so uneven. I got the sense that the source material must be more deep & meaningful than the way it was presented on screen, as occasionally a character would ask a thoughtful life question, but only very occasionally. For the moment, however, I can only take this show as a step by step manual on how to ascend, just as a point of interest. The story pacing confused me & the acting barely passable. It could've been a fantastic show with better writing but I am curious to watch the second season just the same.
In Immortal Ascension, YY plays Han Li, a poor boy from a low level cultivating family who manages to work his way up the ascension ladder through some audacity & luck. He faces many obstacles on the way, of course, but each obstacle proves to be a bridge on the road to ascension.
Han Li's first mentor suggests to him that he should not give up on his humanity on his journey to immortality. So I was searching for the human story in this show, but Han Li's interactions with other characters are superficial. I kept looking for any deep connections he might form with others, but finding none I ended up simply following his progression through the stages, exactly like watching someone play a video game.
Han Li is more selfish & immature than I was expecting. When he discovers how to make a rare & highly prized herbal pill for cultivators, instead of sharing it with the sect that generously took him in, he scarfs down an entire handful, Wukong style, all at once for himself. Han Li takes chances & is reckless for his own gain, but stands aside, hesitant to jump to others' aid. He never fights until he's either called out or forced by his own guilt. The tone of the show also carries a very juvenile video game feel & yet the very adult themes of sexual assault & one night stands are presented with all the understanding & sensitivity of a toxic man baby.
Entering the final 1/3 of the drama we see Han Li's growth into an adult catching up to these themes, but his relationships with his close colleagues don't seem to mature at the same time, particularly those with whom he goes through life & death trials. He doesn't seem to get to know anyone very well, & there's no insight into whatever inner demon is preventing him from connecting with others. There's no shortage of female characters throwing themselves at him, & yet he gives nothing in return but youth & beauty pills as gifts which shows his lack of understanding of any of them as individuals. His emotional emptiness is puzzling, & the best friend by his side is just the puppet body of the only person closest to being a friend in his life. He's a lone wolf who's self serving motives make him unsympathetic.
I realized by the end that this series is only the first season when it was apparent the story was not concluding during the painfully slow final episode. In fact, Han Li's stunted emotional development made more sense given the story was not yet finished. His journey became more interesting as a result. It's unfortunate that the pacing was so uneven. I got the sense that the source material must be more deep & meaningful than the way it was presented on screen, as occasionally a character would ask a thoughtful life question, but only very occasionally. For the moment, however, I can only take this show as a step by step manual on how to ascend, just as a point of interest. The story pacing confused me & the acting barely passable. It could've been a fantastic show with better writing but I am curious to watch the second season just the same.
Was this review helpful to you?
